Executive summary

In 2018, Closing the Gap remains a shared commitment. It is the story of a shared journey to continue to work together and enable and empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to live healthy and prosperous lives.

This journey continues to draw on the enduring wisdom, strength and resilience learned over thousands of years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander civilisation. The past 10 years of Closing the Gap have also provided governments with valuable lessons.

Working together

Our country’s shared journey – that of Australia’s First Peoples and non-Indigenous population – is relatively young. It is a journey that has great potential, grounded in a history that has been challenging and, at times, painful.

Successive governments – Commonwealth, state and territory – have acknowledged the legacy of trauma and grief in Aboriginal and Torres Islander communities as a result of colonisation, forced removals and other past government policies.

Chapter Six
Healthy Lives

True and lasting gains are made when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and individuals are front and centre of decision making and driving outcomes in their choices in respect to health care.